Mouthpieces In search of a tenor mouthpiece. Help?

[kill it with motown!]

I tried 4 mouthpieces the last time I was at a music store, an Otto link, a meyer, a metal berg, a vandoren, and a metal lebayle 7 jazz chamber, bullet cut.

I liked the lebayle 7 metal with the bullet cut chamber. Since I play a meyer 7M on alto, my preference is geared towards hard rubber mouthpieces.

So after trying the lebayle 7 metal, I have decided that I am in search of something similar.
I am in search of a tenor mouthpiece that has:

-medium facing curve
-round chamber, & bullet-cut
-a baffle equivalent to measuring a "0" on a berg.

 

[aldevis]

Welcome to the caffé KIWM.
Why not introducing yourself in the doorbell section? It as a good opportunity to taste the unmistakeable style of our members.

Re your (difficult) question...
- A good rubber berg (if you find one)
- An average rubber berg and have it refaced
- A Pillinger copy of some wonderful old HR berg
- An Absolute resin (so far the cheapest option)
- A Ponzol, I don't remember the model

It will be quite a jump from your current Meyer, though. A 0 baffle is really high and quite a screamer.

Where are you based? I mostly mentioned European makers that I am really biased towards (Pillinger and Absolute are a pleasure to deal with). in the States there are many other pieces to try; 10mfan and Phil-Tone come to mind.

 

[kevgermany]

PPT fits most, if not all of those criteria. Order from the taming the saxophone link.

 

[Ads]

Agreed, it`s a wide gap, easy to play piece, the Onyxite ones can be troublesome to find metal ligatures for (and I think it sounds better with one than a Rovner etc) but the metal ones are a more orthodox shape . it`s an amazingly versatile mouthpiece

 

[altissimo]

Lebayle do hard rubber mouthpieces... or there's the Lawton BB chamber in HR.. or a Drake Studio.. you might be lucky and find a hard rubber Berg to your liking, they're not all crap. My mate got one he liked after he tried 4 of them in a shop. The facings on Bergs are all a bit short and can be tiring after a while, not a problem you'd find with the PPT

 

[kill it with motown!]

Welcome to the caffé KIWM.
Why not introducing yourself in the doorbell section? It as a good opportunity to taste the unmistakeable style of our members.

Re your (difficult) question...
- A good rubber berg (if you find one)
- An average rubber berg and have it refaced
- A Pillinger copy of some wonderful old HR berg
- An Absolute resin (so far the cheapest option)
- A Ponzol, I don't remember the model

It will be quite a jump from your current Meyer, though. A 0 baffle is really high and quite a screamer.

Where are you based? I mostly mentioned European makers that I am really biased towards (Pillinger and Absolute are a pleasure to deal with). in the States there are many other pieces to try; 10mfan and Phil-Tone come to mind.

I am based in New York City.
The reason for the "0" baffle is because the baffle in the tenor rico graftonite mouthpiece that I played really lacked projection so I had to mold a baffle into it out of clay putty in order to get it playing. After that I felt that the notes play much easier on tenor if the mouthpiece had a good amount of baffle to it. I don't like the rollover baffles for tenor, tried those. All I got was a tubby tone. Don't know why.

 

[aldevis]

I am based in New York City.

That is mouthpieceland!
If I were you, I would try everything, with great amusement of the sales assistants.
I would just avoid one unpleasant shop near Times Sq.
In another shop near there, I found the Berg Larsen that stayed with me for many years as my main piece.
Also you have Rick Maraday (he is a member here) that stocks 10mfan pieces (you might like the Boss model) and you can mail order from any American maker.
I wonder if the PPT is distributed there.

If you are planning to kill with Motown (and Stax, hopefully), try a Claude Lakey too.

 

[Ads]

I think PPTs are distributed wherever Pete sends them ....... as he`s said many times, it was never out to be a business venture, more a way of sharing of an excellent bespoke mouthpiece design which suits him personally (and many others too from the sales) . I seem to be settling into it nicely ....

I`ve never been in the Mouthpiece rat-race and have avoided it like the plague (it`s frustrating enough even with advice from forums let alone randomly walking into "Mouthpiece world" and hoping the right one will glow like a shard from the Dark Crystal) . I`ve found that it takes time to see if something is going to work, and only then after you`ve found the ideal reed combination with it . the PPT only took a week or two to show it was going to work , it took me longer (Months) to settle into the LAW Alto as an only piece but I`d not swap it for anything now .

I think many drive themselves nuts trying to find the perfect piece, never giving themselves long enough with one at a time or even ever finding matching reeds, they end up with a drawer full of the things costing a fortune, none of which they`ve spent enough time with getting to know .

 

[Jamesmac]

I think PPTs are distributed wherever Pete sends them ....... as he`s said many times, it was never out to be a business venture, more a way of sharing of an excellent bespoke mouthpiece design which suits him personally (and many others too from the sales) . I seem to be settling into it nicely ....

I`ve never been in the Mouthpiece rat-race and have avoided it like the plague (it`s frustrating enough even with advice from forums let alone randomly walking into "Mouthpiece world" and hoping the right one will glow like a shard from the Dark Crystal) . I`ve found that it takes time to see if something is going to work, and only then after you`ve found the ideal reed combination with it . the PPT only took a week or two to show it was going to work , it took me longer (Months) to settle into the LAW Alto as an only piece but I`d not swap it for anything now .

I think many drive themselves nuts trying to find the perfect piece, never giving themselves long enough with one at a time or even ever finding matching reeds, they end up with a drawer full of the things costing a fortune, none of which they`ve spent enough time with getting to know .

There is one on eBay. Not my listing

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PPT-Tenor...t=UK_Woodwind_Instruments&hash=item3a9094cbd6

 

[ProfJames]

I quite enjoy swapping mouthpieces around on an irregular basis. Makes me concentrate more.

 

[Ads]

I just want to make music ........

I only changed to the PPT because the Selmer E went with the MkVII (and wasn`t ideal on the 62 anyway) , the Yani got at the same time as the 62 was fine as a stopgap as a 62 friendly Selmer E replacement but I`ve needed to move to a larger gap , one piece solution for some time (I had a Bari HR 120 with the Selmer E for the VII but rarely used It and it was awful on the 62) ..... the PPT works

 

[altissimo]

of course if you're rich, this may be the ultimate Berg type tenor mouthpiece - http://www.tedklummouthpieces.com/products/tenor/london-tenor.html

 

[ProfJames]

I just want to make music ........

I only changed to the PPT because the Selmer E went with the MkVII (and wasn`t ideal on the 62 anyway) , the Yani got at the same time as the 62 was fine as a stopgap as a 62 friendly Selmer E replacement but I`ve needed to move to a larger gap , one piece solution for some time (I had a Bari HR 120 with the Selmer E for the VII but rarely used It and it was awful on the 62) ..... the PPT works

We all want to make music but we all do it differently.

 

[aldevis]

I would do music much better if I had a new vintage mouthpiece/horn/ligature/hat/reed.

 

[Jeanette]

I would do music much better if I had a new vintage mouthpiece/horn/ligature/hat/reed.

I would if I'd started a few years ago !

 

[kernewegor]

I am based in New York City.
The reason for the "0" baffle is because the baffle in the tenor rico graftonite mouthpiece that I played really lacked projection so I had to mold a baffle into it out of clay putty in order to get it playing. After that I felt that the notes play much easier on tenor if the mouthpiece had a good amount of baffle to it. I don't like the rollover baffles for tenor, tried those. All I got was a tubby tone. Don't know why.

I played a Graftonite A5 for maybe six months and to me it always sounded a bit 'woolly' (which could be me - my oral cavity? - another player might not find the same.). I then got a Metalite M5. It suits me much more, gives much more projection and helps me get the sounds I have in my head more easily, easier to vary tone, timbre, vocalise etc.

Maybe a Metalite might help narrow down the search and help point you towards your ideal? They cost half nothing and can always be sold on anyway, as they have such a good press.

 

[kernewegor]

I would do music much better if I had a new vintage mouthpiece/horn/ligature/hat/reed.

Sunglasses. You forgot the sunglasses.

My £3 shades gave a quantum leap to my playing.

I'm still working on the hat. What would you recommend for improving my altissimo range?

 

[Targa]

I would do music much better if I had a new vintage mouthpiece/horn/ligature/hat/reed.

What about the magic cork grease?

 

[trimmy]

What about the magic cork grease?

Only if it's Selmer !!

 

[aldevis]

it always sounded a bit 'woolly' (which could be me - my oral cavity? - another player might not find the same.)

Hairy tongue?